Latest news with #IsaoTakahata
Canada Standard
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Canada Standard
Japan's Oscar-winning anime house Studio Ghibli turns 40 this month
The two-time Oscar winning Japanese Studio Ghibli that has won fans of different generations with complex plots and hand-drawn animation turns 40 this month. With animations like "Spirited Away" and "The Boy and the Heron", theanime house has become a cultural phenomenon since Miyazaki and the late Isao Takahata established it in 1985. Japan's Studio Ghibli turns 40 this month with two Oscars and legions of fans young and old won over by its complex plots and fantastical hand-drawn animation. But the future is uncertain, with latest hit "The Boy and the Heron" likely -- but not certainly -- the final feature from celebrated co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, now 84. The studio behind the Oscar-winning "Spirited Away" has become a cultural phenomenon since Miyazaki and the late Isao Takahata established it in 1985. Its popularity has been fuelled of late by a second Academy Award in 2024 for "The Boy and the Heron", starring Robert Pattinson, and byNetflixstreaming Ghibli movies around the world. In March,the internet was flooded with pictures in its distinctively nostalgic styleafter the release of OpenAI's newest image generator -- raising questions over copyright. Read moreCopyright questions loom as ChatGPT's Ghibli-style images go viral The newly opened Ghibli Park has also become a major tourist draw for central Japan's Aichi region. Julia Santilli, a 26-year-old from Britain living in northern Japan, "fell in love with Ghibli" after watching the 2001 classic "Spirited Away" as a child. "I started collecting all the DVDs," she told AFP. Ghibli stories are "very engaging and the artwork is stunning", said another fan, Margot Divall, 26. "I probably watch 'Spirited Away' about 10 times a year still." Whiff of death Before Ghibli, most cartoons in Japan -- known as anime -- were made for children. But Miyazaki and Takahata, both from "the generation that knew war", included darker elements that appeal to adults, Miyazaki's son Goro told AFP. "It's not all sweet -- there's also a bitterness and things like that which are beautifully intertwined in the work," he said, describing a "whiff of death" in the films. For younger people who grew up in peacetime, "it is impossible to create something with the same sense, approach and attitude", Goro said. Even "My Neighbor Totoro", with its cuddly forest creatures, is in some ways a "scary" movie that explores the fear of losing a sick mother, he explained. Susan Napier, a professor at Tufts University in the United States and author of "Miyazakiworld: A Life in Art", agrees. "In Ghibli, you have ambiguity, complexity and also a willingness to see that the darkness and light often go together" unlike good-versus-evil US cartoons, she said. The post-apocalyptic "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" -- considered the first Ghibli film despite its release in 1984 -- has no obvious villain, for example. The movie featuring an independent princess curious about giant insects and a poisonous forest felt "so fresh" and a change from "a passive woman... having to be rescued", Napier said. Natural world Studio Ghibli films also depict a universe where humans connect deeply with nature and the spirit world. A case in point was 1997's "Princess Mononoke", distributed internationally byDisney. The tale of a girl raised by a wolf goddess in a forest threatened by humans is "a masterpiece -- but a hard movie", Napier said. It's a "serious, dark and violent" film appreciated more by adults, which "was not what US audiences had anticipated with a movie about a princess". Ghibli films "have an environmentalist and animistic side, which I think is very appropriate for the contemporary world with climate change", she added. Miyuki Yonemura, a professor at Japan's Senshu University who studies cultural theories on animation, said watching Ghibli movies is like reading literature. "That's why some children watch Totoro 40 times," she said, adding that audiences "discover something new every time". French connection Miyazaki and Takahata -- who died in 2018 -- could create imaginative worlds because of their openness to other cultures, Yonemura said. Foreign influences included writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery and animator Paul Grimault, both French, and Canadian artist Frederic Back, who won an Oscar for his animation "The Man Who Planted Trees". Takahata studying French literature at university "was a big factor", Yonemura said. "Both Miyazaki and Takahata read a lot," she said. "That's a big reason why they excel at writing scripts and creating stories." Miyazaki has said he was inspired by several books for "Nausicaa", including the 12th-century Japanese tale "The Lady who Loved Insects", and Greek mythology. Studio Ghibli will not be the same after Miyazaki stops creating animation, "unless similar talent emerges", Yonemura said. Miyazaki is "a fantastic artist with such a visual imagination" while both he and Takahata were "politically progressive", Napier said. "The more I study, the more I realise this was a unique cultural moment," she said. "It's so widely loved that I think it will carry on," said Ghibli fan Divall. "As long as it doesn't lose its beauty, as long as it carries on the amount of effort, care and love," she said. Originally published on France24
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
Studio Ghibli marks 40 years, but future looks uncertain
Japan's Studio Ghibli turns 40 this month with two Oscars and legions of fans young and old won over by its complex plots and fantastical hand-drawn animation. But the future is uncertain, with latest hit "The Boy and the Heron" likely — but not certainly — the final feature from celebrated co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, now 84. In March, the internet was flooded with pictures in Studio Ghibli's distinctively nostalgic style after the release of OpenAI's newest image generator — raising questions over copyright. The studio behind the Oscar-winning "Spirited Away" has become a cultural phenomenon since Miyazaki and the late Isao Takahata — he passed away in 2018 — established it in 1985. Its popularity has been fueled of late by a second Academy Award in 2024 for "The Boy and the Heron," starring Robert Pattinson, and by Netflix streaming Ghibli movies around the world. The newly opened Ghibli Park has also become a major tourist draw for central Japan's Aichi region. In addition to its museum in Mitaka, Tokyo, Studio Ghibli opened a theme park in Aichi Prefecture, in November 2022. | Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP-JIJI Julia Santilli, a 26-year-old from Britain living in northern Japan, "fell in love with Ghibli" after watching the 2001 classic "Spirited Away" as a child. "I started collecting all the DVDs," she says. Ghibli stories are "very engaging and the artwork is stunning," says another fan, Margot Divall, 26. "I probably watch 'Spirited Away' about 10 times a year, still." Before Ghibli, most cartoons in Japan — known as anime — were made for children. But Miyazaki and Takahata, both from "the generation that knew war," included darker elements that appeal to adults, Miyazaki's son Goro says. "It's not all sweet — there's also a bitterness and things like that which are beautifully intertwined in the work," he adds, describing a "whiff of death" in the films. For younger people who grew up in time of peace, "it is impossible to create something with the same sense, approach and attitude," Goro says. Even "My Neighbor Totoro," with its cuddly forest creatures, is in some ways a "scary" movie that explores the fear of losing a sick mother, he explains. Susan Napier, a professor at Tufts University in the United States and author of "Miyazakiworld: A Life in Art," agrees. "In Ghibli, you have ambiguity, complexity and also a willingness to see that the darkness and light often go together" unlike good-versus-evil U.S. cartoons, she says. Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, now 84, has stepped back a few times before returning with "The Boy and the Heron" which is likely to be his final feature. | AFP-JIJI The post-apocalyptic "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" — considered the first Ghibli film despite its release in 1984 — has no obvious villain, for example. Featuring an independent princess curious about giant insects and a poisonous forest, the film felt "so fresh" and a change from "a passive woman... having to be rescued," Napier says. Studio Ghibli films also depict a universe where humans connect deeply with nature and the spirit world. A case in point was 1997's "Princess Mononoke," distributed internationally by Disney. The tale of a girl raised by a wolf goddess in a forest threatened by humans is "a masterpiece — but a hard movie," Napier says. It's a "serious, dark and violent" film appreciated more by adults, which "was not what U.S. audiences had anticipated with a movie about a princess. "Ghibli films "have an environmentalist and animistic side, which I think is very appropriate for the contemporary world with climate change," Napier adds. Miyuki Yonemura, a professor at Japan's Senshu University who studies cultural theories on animation, says watching Ghibli movies is like reading literature. "That's why some children watch 'My Neighbor Totoro' 40 times," she says, adding that audiences "discover something new every time." With Takahata studying French literature at university and Miyazaki also reading voraciously, there are naturally French literature influences in Ghibli's works. | Thomas SAMSON / AFP-JIJI Miyazaki and Takahata could create imaginative worlds because of their openness to other cultures, Yonemura says. Foreign influences include writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery and animator Paul Grimault, both French, and Canadian artist Frederic Back, who won an Oscar for his animation "The Man Who Planted Trees." Takahata studying French literature at university "was a big factor," Yonemura says. "Both Miyazaki and Takahata read a lot," she adds. "That's a big reason why they excel at writing scripts and creating stories." Miyazaki has said he was inspired by several books for "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind," including the 12th-century Japanese tale "The Lady who Loved Insects," and Greek mythology. Studio Ghibli will not be the same after Miyazaki stops creating animation, "unless similar talent emerges," Yonemura says. Miyazaki is "a fantastic artist with such a visual imagination," while both he and Takahata were "politically progressive," Napier says. "The more I study, the more I realize this was a unique cultural moment," she says. "It's so widely loved that I think it will carry on," says Ghibli fan Divall. "As long as it doesn't lose its beauty, as long as it carries on the amount of effort, care and love," she adds. Studio Ghibli has offices in western Tokyo. | AFP-JIJI Studio Ghibli's heavy hitters Here are the studio's top five films that have delighted fans over the decades: "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" (1984) Studio Ghibli was founded in 1985, but this post-apocalyptic story featuring a young, independent princess curious about giant insects is considered its first film. It was based on a comic-strip series that Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki wrote for a magazine targeted at anime fans. Set 1,000 years after a war that destroyed human civilization, the story takes place in a valley protected from toxic air emitted from poisonous forests. Miyazaki won critical acclaim and a cult following for the film about Nausicaa, who discovers the forests' secrets after getting embroiled in conflicts between countries trying to revive a lethal "giant warrior." "My Neighbor Totoro" (1988) This beloved Ghibli classic is set in the 1950s Japanese countryside where two young sisters with a sick mother move from the city. They encounter the cuddly yet mysterious forest spirit Totoro and Catbus, a 12-legged grinning cat with a hollow body in the form of a bus — two characters who have since become worldwide-known Studio Ghibli mascots. The film was also turned into a play for the first time by Britain's Royal Shakespeare Company in 2022. "Princess Mononoke" (1997) The tale of a girl raised by a wolf goddess in a forest threatened by humans was a smash hit in Japan and raised Miyazaki's profile internationally. A young prince on a journey to find a cure for his curse meets San, also known as Princess Mononoke — meaning a spirit or monster in Japanese. The prince sets out to find ways to avoid wars between destructive humans and animal gods, centered around the ultimate god which is nature itself. "Spirited Away" (2001) Miyazaki won his first Oscar with this film about a girl who gets lost in a mystical world of gods and spirits where she tries to save her parents, who are turned into pigs. In order to survive, 10-year-old Chihiro is told by a mysterious boy to get a job at an enormous Japanese bathhouse run by a witch. In a story infused with Japanese beliefs and traditions, Chihiro gains confidence through her work and solves the boy's curse before rescuing her parents. "The Boy and the Heron" (2023) Miyazaki's second Oscar-winning film — and likely the 84-year-old's last feature — follows a boy struggling to accept his new life after his mother dies in the haunting fire-bombing of Tokyo during World War II. Everything changes when he meets a talking heron and embarks on a journey to an alternate universe, shared by the living and the dead, to find his missing stepmother. In a documentary, Miyazaki, visibly affected by the 2018 death of Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata, said the pair had had a "love-hate relationship" and that he had based the character of the grand-uncle on him.
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Studio Ghibli Marks 40 Years, but Future Looks Uncertain
Japan's Studio Ghibli turns 40 this month with two Oscars and legions of fans young and old won over by its complex plots and fantastical hand-drawn animation. But the future is uncertain, with latest hit "The Boy and the Heron" likely -- but not certainly -- the final feature from celebrated co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, now 84. The studio behind the Oscar-winning "Spirited Away" has become a cultural phenomenon since Miyazaki and the late Isao Takahata established it in 1985. Its popularity has been fueled of late by a second Academy Award in 2024 for "The Boy and the Heron", starring Robert Pattinson, and by Netflix streaming Ghibli movies around the world. In March, the internet was flooded with pictures in its distinctively nostalgic style after the release of OpenAI's newest image generator, raising questions over copyright. The newly opened Ghibli Park has also become a major tourist draw for central Japan's Aichi region. Julia Santilli, a 26-year-old from Britain living in northern Japan, "fell in love with Ghibli" after watching the 2001 classic "Spirited Away" as a child. "I started collecting all the DVDs," she told AFP. Ghibli stories are "very engaging and the artwork is stunning", said another fan, Margot Divall, 26. "I probably watch 'Spirited Away' about 10 times a year still." - 'Whiff of death' - Before Ghibli, most cartoons in Japan, known as anime, were made for children. But Miyazaki and Takahata, both from "the generation that knew war", included darker elements that appeal to adults, Miyazaki's son Goro told AFP. "It's not all sweet -- there's also a bitterness and things like that which are beautifully intertwined in the work," he said, describing a "whiff of death" in the films. For younger people who grew up in peacetime, "it is impossible to create something with the same sense, approach and attitude," Goro said. Even "My Neighbor Totoro," with its cuddly forest creatures, is in some ways a "scary" movie that explores the fear of losing a sick mother, he explained. Susan Napier, a professor at Tufts University in the United States and author of "Miyazakiworld: A Life in Art", agrees. "In Ghibli, you have ambiguity, complexity and also a willingness to see that the darkness and light often go together" unlike good-versus-evil US cartoons, she said. The post-apocalyptic "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" -- considered the first Ghibli film despite its release in 1984 -- has no obvious villain, for example. The movie featuring an independent princess curious about giant insects and a poisonous forest felt "so fresh" and a change from "a passive woman... having to be rescued," Napier said. - Natural world - Studio Ghibli films also depict a universe where humans connect deeply with nature and the spirit world. A case in point was 1997's "Princess Mononoke", distributed internationally by Disney. The tale of a girl raised by a wolf goddess in a forest threatened by humans is "a masterpiece -- but a hard movie," Napier said. It's a "serious, dark and violent" film appreciated more by adults, which "was not what US audiences had anticipated with a movie about a princess." Ghibli films "have an environmentalist and animistic side, which I think is very appropriate for the contemporary world with climate change," she added. Miyuki Yonemura, a professor at Japan's Senshu University who studies cultural theories on animation, said watching Ghibli movies is like reading literature. "That's why some children watch Totoro 40 times," she said, adding that audiences "discover something new every time." - French connection - Miyazaki and Takahata, who died in 2018, could create imaginative worlds because of their openness to other cultures, Yonemura said. Foreign influences included writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery and animator Paul Grimault, both French, and Canadian artist Frederic Back, who won an Oscar for his animation "The Man Who Planted Trees". Takahata studying French literature at university "was a big factor," Yonemura said. "Both Miyazaki and Takahata read a lot," she said. "That's a big reason why they excel at writing scripts and creating stories." Miyazaki has said he was inspired by several books for "Nausicaa", including the 12th-century Japanese tale "The Lady who Loved Insects", and Greek mythology. Studio Ghibli will not be the same after Miyazaki stops creating animation, "unless similar talent emerges," Yonemura said. Miyazaki is "a fantastic artist with such a visual imagination" while both he and Takahata were "politically progressive," Napier said. "The more I study, the more I realize this was a unique cultural moment," she said. "It's so widely loved that I think it will carry on," said Ghibli fan Divall. "As long as it doesn't lose its beauty, as long as it carries on the amount of effort, care and love," she said.
Hypebeast
5 days ago
- Business
- Hypebeast
A Whimsical Studio Ghibli x UNIQLO UT Collaboration Is on the Way
Summary UNIQLOis set to launch a magical newStudio GhibliUT (Uniqlo T-shirt) collection, bringing the enchanting worlds ofHayao Miyazakiand Isao Takahata to wearable art. This collaboration, teased recently and appearing on various Uniqlo international sites, is generating significant excitement among fans worldwide. The collection features designs inspired by eight beloved Studio Ghibli films, including the latest release,The Boy and the Heron, alongside classics likeMy Neighbor Totoro,Kiki's Delivery Service,Howl's Moving Castle,Spirited Away,Princess Mononoke,The Tale of The Princess KaguyaandPom Poko. What makes this collaboration particularly unique is the inclusion of original character illustrations and artwork by Thai artist Kanyada Phatan, known for her contributions to Studio Ghibli's monthly publication 'Neppu.' These fresh artistic interpretations, alongside direct film stills, offer diverse designs for fans. The collection will include a range of items such as unisex T-shirts and sweatshirts, as well as kids' sizes. Pricing is set at approximaely $24.90 USD for adult shirts and $29.90 USD for sweatshirts. While the collection has started appearing on some international Uniqlo sites (like Thailand), the official global release is anticipated in mid-July 2025online. This collaboration promises to be a captivating way for fans to carry a piece of Ghibli's magic with them.
Time Out
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Netflix Japan to air ‘Grave of the Fireflies' from July 15
Grab your tissues, folks. Netflix Japan has announced it will stream Grave of the Fireflies starting from July 15. The critically acclaimed tearjerker has been available in 190 other countries and regions since September of last year, though this summer marks the first time it will be streamable specifically on Netflix Japan. Grave of the Fireflies – released in 1988 and directed by the late Isao Takahata – is an animated film based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by Akiyuki Nosaka. The emotionally gripping film tells the story of 14-year-old Seita and his little sister Setsuko as they struggle to survive the brutalities of the Second World War. The timing of the streaming is especially poignant, since this year marks the 80th anniversary of the air raid on Kobe, as depicted in the picture.
